During a recovery period for an injured hand, it is usually desirable to raise the hand so that it is in an elevated position with respect to the rest of the patient's body. That is, there is widespread agreement among medical people that elevation of an injured hand (following an accident or operation) is beneficial for: wound healing, recovery of function and patient comfort. With elevation of the hand while the patient is either sitting or recumbent there is provided a nearly continuous balance against hematoma and edema fluid formation.
Traditionally, supporting a patient's hand in an elevated position has involved the use of either slings and overhead hooks or bed pillows. Frequently, both techniques have been used; however, each involves several distinct problems and disadvantages.
The use of a hook and sling is normally suitable only for hospital patients as the safe use of such arrangements requires specialized apparatus and frequent observation. In that regard, hooks and sling supports may have a tendency to pull surgical dressings distally with undesired displacement. Also, the use of such structures involve risks attendant pressure areas and traction blisters. Furthermore, the use of overhead suspension apparatus is normally very confining to the patient and may produce substantial discomfort after a relatively short period of confinement.
Maintaining the hand elevated by the traditional use of stacked bed pillows is also fraught with problems. Stacks of pillows are bulky and difficult to place and maintain in comfortable supporting positions.
Recognizing the problems attendant the use of traditional means for elevating the hand after an accident or injury has resulted in some prior specialized devices for that purpose. Specifically, rigid supports have been proposed as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,643,850; 2,119,325; and 3,528,413. Although useful in certain instances, such supports generally lack the flexibility and comfort which might otherwise be possible for a patient recovering from a hand injury.
Supports have also been proposed in the form of various structures of foam material as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. DE. 247,311. Although such supports are useful in certain situations, again attendant disadvantages have existed. Specifically, such structures in various forms have been rather bulky resulting in difficulty both for manipulation and storage. Some such devices have accommodated only limited positions for the patient and have not only concealed the hand from inspection but have also blocked a substantial portion of the patient's visual view. Accordingly, a need has continued to exist for an improved hand-elevating support apparatus.
In general, the present invention is directed to an inflatable support pillow. Of course, various forms of inflatable pillows have been previously proposed to accommodate specific body members. For example, one such pillow structure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,584,914. Such apparatus have not accommodated the principal objective of the present invention which resides in elevating an injured hand with relative convenience by affording cushioning and a wide variety of possible positions. Additionally, the apparatus of the present invention is convenient to use, store, and clean, and exposes the hand for inspection and access to most wounds.
In general, the pillow of the present invention is formed of transparent inflatable sections to define a width of space of somewhat triangular shape for receiving a patient's upper limb when flexed at the elbow to approximately 90.degree.. The hypotenuse side of the triangular space is open to be bridged by straps which affix the pillow to the patient's upper limb. The posterior surface of the arm rests on a rectangular cushion section coinciding to a short leg of the triangular configuration while the ulnar border of the patient's forearm rests against a longer perpendicular cushion section. Inflatable lateral chamber sections are integrally formed with the angled cushion sections to complete the pillow structure defining the triangular space.